One of the first things I did when I came here to Seoul was go see the Palaces located throughout the city. If you have a map of Seoul, they are very easy to point out. The biggest of these palaces are the Gyeongbokgung and the Changdeokgung palaces, located very close to each other. Getting on the subway you can either get off at Anguk or Gyeongbokgung stations to find these palaces.
The Gyeongbokgung palace was built in 1395 and was the new main palace of the Joseon Dynasty. With its completion, the capital was now moved to Seoul or known as Hanyang back then. The palace was destroyed by fire during the Japanese invasions of 1592 and was not reconstructed until 1868, the fifth year of King Gojong. During the Japanese invasion, most of the palace was torn down. It is still being restored today.
The Changdeokgung palace was constructed in 1405, the fifth year of king Taejong. It was the secondary palace to Gyeongbokgung, the main palace. It too was destroyed by fire during the Japanese invasion, but it was restored in 1610 and served as the main palace for 270 years until Gyeonbokgung was reconstructed. The secret garden in the back of this palace is one of the most enchanting places in Korea.
The first palace I got to see while going there was Changdeokgung Palace. We didn't know what we had paid for when we entered, but apparently we got tickets to enter the palace and see the secret garden in the back. Let me tell you, it was worth it! In the Secret garden, there were ponds and temple-like buildings everywhere. It was like taking a scenic walk through the forest except even prettier. I enjoyed it tremendously! The tour was long, about 2 hours, but we got some great photos of the palace and even some of the people there. Luckily for us, it wasn't raining either, even though the day was dreary.
Outside the palace, we found a bunch of small little restaurants from which we picked from and ate at. It was my first time eating at a small korean restaurant before where I could chose my food (on the feild trip we didn't get to pick). I got Bibimbap for the first time and it was actually really good. I have come to find that I quite enjoy Korean food and I am a picky eater. It was still pouring when we left the restaurant but we walked to Gyongbokgung palace anyways. This palace was huge and took hours to walk through! Also, the National Folk Museum is there too and it is decent sized too. I would suggest that if you go to Gyeongbokgung palace, go when it isn't rainy and find out where the main building is and the lake, because those are the most interesting parts. The rest of the palace looks the same. Overall though, it was a really exhausting day, but totally worth it. My favorite out of the two palaces: Changdeokgung palace and its Secret Garden.
Gyeongbokgung Palace:
Changdeokgung Palace:
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